In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to clean and slice leeks. Often leeks will have dirt and debris caught in the inner layers of the vegetable. This easy method will allow you to clean the leeks and slice them into rings or thin strips, julienne style. I’ve also provided a little leek history, for those who are curious about this onion-like vegetable!
History of Leeks
Leeks are members of the onion family. Classical Romans and Greeks were very fond of leeks. Roman Emperor Nero earned the nickname Porrophagus, or “leek eater,” after he took to eating them in large quantities in order to improve his singing voice. The Greeks and Romans praised leeks, while deeming garlic and onions fit only for the less fortunate.
The ancient Roman cookbook Apicius includes four individual recipes for leeks, while only calling for garlic and onions in small quantities as flavorings. Today onion and garlic are a building block in most savory recipes, whereas leeks are not nearly as common. Times have certainly changed!
Some historians believe that the Romans introduced leeks to Britain and eventually Wales. An old tale claims that the Welsh, who made leeks their “national emblem,” tucked raw leeks into their hats during the 7th century Battle of Heathfield so that the soldiers could easily distinguish between their allies and enemies. Did the Welsh triumph over the Saxons due to their own strength, or because the powerful odor of raw leeks helped them to know friend from foe? We may never know.
What we do know is how to prepare leeks for use in recipes! The challenge with leeks is the dirt and debris that gets caught inside their many layers and leaves. There is a simple solution to getting all of that dirt out and slicing your leeks for cooking. All you need is a sharp knife, a bowl of water, and a colander. Here’s how!
Recommended Products:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
How to Clean and Slice Leeks
Ingredients
- Whole leeks
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Large bowl of cold water
- Colander
NOTES
Instructions
- Thoroughly rinse your leeks and pat dry with a paper towel.
- With a sharp knife, remove the dark green leaf end and discard or save for soup or stew stock.
- Thinly slice the leek into rings and discard the root end.
- Submerge the sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water. Give them a gentle stir or shake to remove any soil or grit between the layers.
- Allow the leeks to sit in the water for a few minutes. Then scoop them into a colander using your hands or a slotted spoon. This ensures that you aren’t dumping the rinse water back onto the leeks.Now you have clean, sliced leeks that are ready to be used.
- Alternatively, if you prefer, you can slice your leeks into thin strips, julienne cut. First removing the dark green leaf ends and the root ends. Discard or reserve these for soup or stew stocks.
- Then, slice each leek in half from top to bottom.
- Slice the halves into thin strips. Then rinse in a bowl of water the same way you would with the rings, scooping them into a colander to drain.
- There you have it! Clean, sliced leeks that can be used in a variety of recipes.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Research Sources:
Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.
Rupp, Rebecca. How Carrots Won the Trojan War: Curious (but True) Stories of Common Vegetables. North Adams, MA: Storey Pub., 2011. Print.
Amber K. says
Super helpful tutorial, thank you so much!
Ann says
I never thought of slicing the leeks in rings and then cleaning them. My veggie soup just got more appealing. Thank you for the tip.
Marny CA says
Other than in soups, I use leeks steamed with carrots.
EASY and delicious – and no need for anything else – unless you insist. My family also likes the steamed leeks/carrots cold the next day.
HEALTHY!!
JUDY says
IT SEEMS LIKE SUCH A WASTE TO THROW AWAY THE GREEN LEAFY ENDS. DOES ANYONE EAT THOSE TOO? AND IF SO HOW WOULD YOU PREPARE THE ENDS? THANKS!
JACQUY says
leek, is so good in any kind of green salads , in soups with the green , and fry like onions with garlic ……may be you can give us more recipes .???????????? yes thank you
Tori Avey says
Jacquy I’ll be posting some soon! 🙂
Cheryl Keyser says
love leeks lots…..
Fedra Asadkhani says
<3
Nora Prior says
Lovely
Jessica Halverson Foor says
one of my favorite foods!
Susan says
Love leeks. Easy to grow. Never knew that the dark green part could be used in soups. We always have composted them.
Nancy Henderson says
With the snow storms coming our way, this gives me an idea to make potato leek soup. Yum!
Anne Twigg says
I am 77yrs old and have prepared leeks for soups all my life. First, I take a sharp knife and trim ends off both the bulb and the leaves, removing the outside layer of skin if it dry or damaged. I never cutoff entire dark green leaves, only trim ends. I then take the knife & slice lengthwise from bulb end on down through green leaves. I carefully turn bulb end in my hand and again slit lengthwise, either once or twice depending upon the thickness of the bulb. Also slit further down where the leaves may still be wide. Then take kitchen shears and snip the prepared leeks in 1/2 ” cuts, starting at bulb end, into a clean sink filled with fresh warm water. Soak then rub snipped leeks together to loosen any dirt, which will sink to the bottom. Using a slotted lifter, remove cut leeks into a large strainer, then bag into freezer Ziploc bag(s) and store in the freezer until ready to add to soups. Parsley maybe prepared in a similar fashion, as parsley stalks are very flavorful when added last to homemade soup recipes. Having frozen prepared leek & parsley saves a lot of time when making your favorite soups.
KrisTea says
Thank You Anne Twigg. Great to know how to freeze them. Great to know that they freeze well without any blanching. And thanks for the details on how you clean and prepare the leeks.
Sylvia Cohen says
Leeks are delicious in many ways and definitely add so much flavor in my chicken soup!!!!
Sarah Thomas says
Love leeks!
Kimberley Barca says
When I was a chef in Miami, if you didn’t clean leeks correctly you got fired!
Heather Menges says
Rinse, rinse, buy frozen and cleaned!
Barbara Zimmer says
You really don’t need to throw away the tops and the ends. If you wash them off and then cook them in a lot of water, you can make some decent stock for your next batch of soup. **Then throw the cooked pieces in your compost pile (if you have one.)
Leonardo Nimimi says
Leeks are great! We use the dark green part too- there’s no reason to throw it away, especially is soups and stews. Leeks are great to use as a substitute for onions in dishes if you have an intolerance for onions. They’re also great sauteed with olive olive oil, and cottage cheese, in between phyllo dough like a greek pie.
Jeremy Jutkowitz says
LIKE A BOSS!
Jacqueline Godfrey Lentini says
I love leeks in a whole lot of things, but have to laugh at checkout when I get the look like what in the world are these and then the long run through their index book until I finally tell them, they are leeks. Same with bok choy…:).
Kyre Adept says
I love leeks! Perhaps comes from 20 years of living in England…
Amy @ What Jew Wanna Eat says
Leeks are one of my favorite ingredients! Can’t wait to see what you cook up.